


Rites of Spring

by thereisafire



Category: Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-01
Updated: 2012-08-01
Packaged: 2017-11-11 04:08:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/474341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thereisafire/pseuds/thereisafire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takuto, Sugata and Wako welcome the spring.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rites of Spring

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gramarye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gramarye/gifts).



> Set post-series.

**beginning of spring**

**  
**

"So, what did you want us to come to the beach for? And why so early?" Takuto stifles a yawn, then rubs his eyes.

"I'd like to know that as well." Sugata blows on his coffee, then takes a large gulp. He looks marginally more awake than Takuto, possibly because of his thermos of coffee.

"Well. It's been my duty to welcome spring ever since I started being the South Maiden, and old habits die hard, you know?" Wako says, staring at the shoreline. "Even though I'm not a Maiden now, I thought we could welcome it together."

Wako reaches into the large cloth bag at her feet, and hands each of them a large pink loop of plastic with a handle attached. Takuto takes hold of the handle, and swishes the loop around, testing its weight. Sugata sets his thermos aside, and studies the plastic loop. Wako removes the rest of the objects from her bag - another plastic loop, a dish, and a gigantic bottle of green fluid.

Wako twists the cap of the bottle off, and carefully pours a small portion of the fluid into the blue dish.

Wako crouches down, dips the plastic loop into the dish, and stands up again. She spins around, holding her arm away from her, and a stream of translucent bubbles follows in her wake. She tilts her head back, watching the bubbles rise up to the pale pink sky.

Sugata's chuckle breaks the silence, and he bends down, touching his wand to the surface of the blue dish. He straightens up, waves his hand more deliberately than Wako does, and a gigantic shimmering bubble emerges from the loop of his wand. It bobs erratically in front of him, before Takuto catches it on his own wand and sends it off in another direction. A rainbow of colours shimmers on its surface as it floats towards the sea.

"Trying to steal my glory, Takuto?" Sugata says. "Afraid yours won't be as incredible as mine?"

Takuto looks nervously at Wako, afraid that Sugata's comments are disrupting the sanctity of her ritual. She rolls her eyes at Takuto, and flicks her wand, sending bubbles in their direction. One of them bursts on Sugata's cheek.

"It's not about the size, Sugata - oh, wait, I guess you wouldn't know, Mr _King's Pillar_." Takuto gestures dramatically with his wand, preparing to create a glorious bubble, only to have the film of soap pop before he can even get started.

Takuto stares at his wand in betrayal. Sugata raises an eyebrow, and sniggers.

"It's all right, Takuto!" Wako says. She hands Takuto her wand, and pats him on the shoulder. "Maybe you'll do better if you're dual-wielding!"

After a flurry of Galactic Circle Slashes and King's Bubbles later, their part of the beach is thick with bubbles of all sizes. Wako runs along the shoreline, kicking the sand up as she tries to chase after the largest one and burst it. Dozens of tiny bubbles burst on her hoodie and her exposed skin as she runs, but she doesn't seem to care, laughing as she gives chase.

"Kind of looks like Zero Time, doesn't it?" Takuto says, putting down his wands.

"This is much better," Sugata says, setting his wand down on the sand. "She's smiling."

The bubbles float up towards the golden clouds, making contact with the first sunlight.

 

**middle of spring**

 

"Wako, were all South Maidens morning people?" Sugata is swigging from his ever-present thermos. It smells like strong green tea. "I'm surprised your grandmother even let us into this compound."

Takuto pinches his upper arm, then wiggles his toes in his flip-flops. The movement prevents him from falling asleep on his feet, but it's a struggle. Sugata passes him the thermos, and he takes a fortifying sip before handing it back.

"This took weeks of planning and persuasion! Don't be surprised!" Wako says, as she drags both of them to the water's edge. "Now, if you just take off your clothes, we can begin the purifying ritual."

"All of them? Really?" Takuto asks, glancing at Sugata. Sugata shrugs, equally bemused.

"Didn't you notice the drawings of naked people on your invitation cards?" Wako glares at them, grasping the neckline of her thin white robe. "It's not like it's anything new, anyway! You bathe together all the time! We've even bathed together once!"

"We assumed you were just being a slash fangirl," Takuto says. "That's why we wore swimming trunks here!"

"Do you know how much _trouble_ I went to? How many arguments I had with my grandma about including both of you in the new ritual?"

"But _why_ naked?" Takuto remains adamant about keeping his clothes on. As a concession to Wako's glare, Sugata takes off his shirt, but appears somewhat reluctant to take off his pants.

"It's just the way it's always been done! South Maidens needed to be nude for the barrier to calm down!"

"Clearly the barrier was a pervert," Sugata muses.

"Clothes off, both of you!"

After many glares from Wako, both of them step into the water. Naked. Wako shrugs off her robe, and enters the water, wading to the stone arch. The sky is still deep blue, but getting lighter, and the water is dappled with reflected light.

Wako traces symbols on the water - a cross, a pillar, a hook - then grasps Takuto and Sugata's hands.

"Just think about the island being safe and secure, okay?" Wako squeezes their hands reassuringly, then releases her grip. Sugata closes his eyes, and breathes in deeply. Takuto scrunches up his face in absolute concentration.

Wako faces the Tau rock, jutting out of the water, its palm up to the sky, and starts to pray. The barrier to Zero Time is undone, she's given up her mark, and the island doesn't need the maidens anymore. She's not sure there's anything left to pray _to_ , but she does it anyway.

_I am the former South Maiden. These are the Tau and Samekh mark-bearers. We are the people responsible for shattering the final barrier to Zero Time. We are the people who have saved the island from an endlessly repeating story. We will do our best to protect this island from now onwards._

_In return, please allow us the freedom to live our lives as we choose._

_Please allow us to be happy._

Wako exhales, and opens her eyes. Takuto takes that as his cue to stop praying, and immediately relaxes his face. Sugata's eyes remain closed, and his lips move as he murmurs something about protection. It sounds oddly poetic, as if he's spent the past few days memorising quotes from literature just for this occasion.

Takuto slowly sneaks up behind Sugata, and scoops some seawater into his hands. He holds his cupped hands threateningly over Sugata's head, and winks at Wako.

She could say something about profaning a sacred ritual, or glare at Takuto until he takes the occasion more seriously and puts his hands down.

Instead, she makes her silliest face at Takuto, and Takuto is so surprised that he falters. Saltwater spatters on Sugata, and he jumps in surprise before turning on Takuto and trying to dunk him underwater. Takuto flails his arms and makes squawking noises, and Wako starts to laugh, splashing water at both of them.

The ripples spread across the surface of the water, travelling out to the vast sea.

 

**end of spring**

Takuto and Sugata are standing on the beach at the appointed time. They look extremely awake for 4 am. Wako is impressed until she notices they're both holding identical cans of Red Bull.

"Which maiden was in charge of summer afternoons?" Takuto asks, staring at her plaintively. "Can we just pretend you were that one instead?"

"That was the West Maiden, and no, you can't! That's fraud!"

"Are you sure? We could sip cocktails as one of our rituals." Sugata clinks his can of Red Bull with Takuto, and they both take gigantic gulps. "Tiger just took a refresher course on bartending."

"I'll...consider it. Did everyone bring the things for the fire? And...oh, you've dug the pit already."

Sugata lifts up a pile of paper, and Takuto gestures dramatically to the pile of sticks and logs at his feet. "We're always prepared, South Maiden! We even bought sweet potatoes and marshmallows!"

They take turns tearing up Sugata's pile of old notes for tinder, and push Takuto's sticks into the sand to form a pyramid around them. Takuto leans some logs on the sticks. Wako takes out her pink lighter, and lights the tinder from the bottom. Sugata blows on it gently, allowing the flames to spread to the sticks, and subsequently the larger logs.

Once the fire doesn't require constant babysitting, they settle around it, and begin to talk. The conversation starts off with complaints about schoolwork and discussion about what the drama club should do for the cultural festival, but gradually evolves into something more.

"Wako...why don't you sing anymore?" Takuto asks, as he idly pokes the fire with a long stick.

"What...what are you talking about, Takuto?" Wako looks down at the sand, and bites her lip. "You've heard me sing during music class! And in the bath!"

"Takuto's right - we've heard you sing. But not your song." Sugata peers up from the fire to look at her. "The one you used to sing all the time."

Wako sighs. They both look so concerned, so worried about her, that she can't help but admit it. "I can't...it doesn't feel right anymore. It's a song for South Maidens, and...even though we're doing all these rituals, I'm really not a maiden anymore. I don't have a song to sing."

There's a moment of silence. Sugata lowers his eyes, and even Takuto looks rather glum.

Takuto suddenly brightens up. He breaks the awkward pause by exclaiming, "Well, we'll just have to compose some new songs for you, Wako! Hold on, I'll go fetch Sugata's guitar!"

Takuto runs off, kicking up sand as he goes. Sugata places three sweet potatoes into the crackling fire.

"You brought a guitar? How? Do you even own one?" Wako whispers.

"Well, Takuto told me that he'd never been to a beach fire." Sugata has lost his usual poise, and looks rather sheepish. "I might have gone a little overboard. And I might have bought a guitar."

Takuto returns, brandishing the guitar triumphantly at Wako and Sugata, then flops down on the sand and starts to strum a tune.

"Come on, Sugata, join in! This first song is dedicated to...Vice-President! Oh, you're such a fluffy foxy fox..."

Sugata gives it some thought, then starts to harmonise with Takuto, as they spontaneously compose a florid ode to the Drama Club's pet fox. It has an impressive rhyme scheme for something created on the fly, and Wako is amazed at their creativity until she remembers to be annoyed.

"At least dedicate the first song to me, guys! Or sing about spring!"

"In spring, a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of foxes! We'll never stop singing about Vice-President!" Takuto grins impishly, then launches into a guitar solo.

"Sugata, stop him! It's time for a song about spring! I'm not going to sing this next year!"

Sugata looks away furtively. "Oh, look, the sweet potatoes are done. Takuto, how about a song about that?"

Wako elbows Sugata, but accepts his offer of a sweet potato anyway. As Takuto gets to the rousing chorus about the delectable orange flesh of their sweet potatoes, Wako joins in, making up silly lyrics as she goes along. She's grinning so hard that her cheeks hurt, Takuto's chuckling as he struggles to continue Wako's lines, and Sugata's humming the chorus while trying to keep a straight face.

Their song drifts across the island, wafting on the waning spring breeze, welcoming a new season.


End file.
